Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-03-16
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MR.. AND MRS. BOWSER,
BY MRS. BOWSER.

BY MRS. BOWsER.
One evening lust before our marriage Mr..
Bowser said to me-:
81 shall make you a weekly allowance of
cash, and the money will be absolutely
YOURS. The idea of wife having to beg
money of her husband strikes me with pain
and disgust. Half of what he owns be-
longs to her, anyway, and yet some hus-
bands make their wives account for the
pennies as much as if they were errand
boys. 1 shall give you $40 week, and
you can either spend or save it."
The first four weeks after marriage we
were off on our bridal tour, and | was too
happy to think of such base stuff as cash.
1t was all of seven weeks before l made
out and playfully presented to Mr.. Bowser
the following little bill:
Mr.. Bowser to Mrs. Bowser, DR..
To seven weeks stipend at $40 per week. S7O
Received payment
"What's this?" demanded Mr.. Bowser,
as he received it in very formal manner.
my little bill. You were to allow me
$40 per week, you know"
"For WHAT"
$50 that I would not have to ask you
for money"
"Um? What's to prevent you from ask
ing for money when you need ea,;, lt;, =,
II did, Ell? I have no recollection of
any such proposal. If you want six dol
lars per week as pin money have no OBJ
iections, however, to making it regular
thing"
ut would be very nice"
"Y-e-s. Well, I'll begin on Saturday to
give you $3."
"Three dollars!"
cor, if that is too much, We'll say 81.
Yes, So is about the figure. You'll want
portion of it to buy pins, needles,
gloves, handkerchiefs, thread, buttons, lac.
es. and so on, and the rest you can spend
reckless, Mrs. Bowser. While I haven't a
stingy hair in my head, don't like to see
money wasted"
The next Saturday he handed me 50,
and on the next only $3.50. On the third
Saturday the stipend was reduced to 81
and hesitated about accepting it.
"You may need this before the week is
out" observed. $50.
"Well-yes- -ahem-I may, and if you
don't care about it, I'll keepit. suppose
you have seven or eight dollars laid by
anyhow"
"That was the last of my stipend. In
the course of three or four weeks wanted a
few little knick-knacks, and as Mr.. BoWser
seemed in unusually good spirits | asked
him for $40.
'Ten what" he fairly shouted, while
the color fled from his face in an instant.
"Ten dollars, my dear"
"Mrs. Bowser, have you gone crazy?
Are you talking in your sleep" Do you
really mean to ask me for $40"
"Why, certainly"
swell, you won't get it! Your very de-
mand is the best proof in the world that you
don't know the value of money"
He finally fished up eighty.two cents
in nickles and pennies and dimes, and
handed me the sum with the remark:
'Now make that 20 as far as possible,
for it may be month before l can spare
any more"
think it was, and two or three weeks
longer. Half of what Mr.. Bowser has be-
longs to me, but only in theory. He car
ries the cash and carry the theory. The
first "spat" we ever had grew out of this
Theory VS.. Cash subject. We had some
company in the evening, ard all OF sud-
den Mr.. Bowser turned to me with:
"Say, dear, promised Blank you would
be down at the opening tomorrow. Per-
haps you'll want to plan to 60 down with
these ladies, and so excuse time and place
and take this"
With that he threw me roll of bills
amounting to S37, but the last of our COM
pany had not cleared the front steps when
he held out his hand and said:
"That money, Mrs. BOWser."
"What about that money!"
"Why, I want it,"
"But you gave it to me-"
"You hand me back that money"
"Then can't 60 to the opening"
"Opening be hanged! You don't sup
nose Pm fool enough to throw away q
small fortune on senseless geWgaws, do
you?"
I had to give it up, but I think his con-
science troubled him. I think so, because
next morning he said:
"Mrs. BoWser, it costs me an average OF
SIG week to set our table. Suppose you
take $40, pay the girl, do the buying, and
have what you can save?"
agreed to it, and when Saturday came
made my start. The first week l saved
So. so, and the next 81, but when the third
Saturday came Mr.. BoWser handed me on
lys16, o,7 ou;oa
"Mrs. Bowser, we are living altogether
too high and the doctor has warned me that
gout is not far off. You must take SIG per
week after this, and you ought to lay away
at least 81 per week out Of that towards
buying the winters COAL"
II won't touch it J"
"Oh you won't? Very we'll, Mrs. Bow
ser-very we'll. If that's the kind of help
meet you are Pm glad to have discovered
it thus early in our career, and l shall
take measures to prevent your reckless ex-
travagance from bringing us to ruin" :,
One day when found dime which had
shaken out of his trowsers in the bedroom,
and he found it on the bureau where had
laid it, he grabbed for it with the excla-
nation:
"Hhere is another evidence of your fl
nancial recklessness! How easy for bur-
glar to have sneaked in here and taken
every cent of it! Mrs. Bowser, you seem
determined to ruin me !-DetroH Free
Press.